The RCMP in Ontario is issuing a public notice with respect to fraudulent telephone calls.

The RCMP is warning the general public of fraudulent telephone calls which appear to be coming from the RCMP. The callers impersonate a police officer on the phone and inform the victims that there is a large amount of money owning on their personal taxes, and that an arrest warrant has been issued in their name. The callers then demand that a large amount of money be paid forthwith via money transfer. The fraudsters are using Caller ID spoofing, which the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre describes as disguising telephone numbers appearing on a caller ID display. This popular tool allows scammers to disguise their calls, as the call will appear to be coming from local or familiar numbers to trick people into answering the phone and trusting the caller.

Be aware that these fraudsters may use a variety of other scam tactics as well. The scams are designed to create anxiety so that victims respond by sending money quickly in order to fix the problem.

Be aware: the RCMP does not contact individuals via email or telephone for the purpose of collecting fines or taxes.